


cover to cover

by weatheredlaw



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Challenge: Fic a Day in May, F/M, Flirting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-09
Updated: 2016-05-09
Packaged: 2018-06-07 13:49:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6807568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weatheredlaw/pseuds/weatheredlaw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bull wants to talk about books. And by books he means...</p><p>or: Cassandra's got a crush, and is bad at realizing the feeling is mutual.</p>
            </blockquote>





	cover to cover

**Author's Note:**

> short 'n sweet little interlude to my final projects i'm prepping for. soon, this hellish week will be over.

She is bent over the little book, the end of her thumb pinched between her teeth as the chapter comes to an end. It is her fourth time reading it, and she knows Varric has been telling anyone who will listen that the _great_ and _noble_ Cassandra Pentaghast is an avid reader of smut and erotica. She had expected him to. Now that she’s grown more comfortable in the Keep, it is less appalling to be approached by the occasional servant girl or two who ask her for something to read.

Anyone else with an opinion is, in the Inquisitor’s words, too terrified of her to express it.

“You’ll wear those pages out,” someone says, and Cassandra looks up.

The Iron Bull’s shadow falls over her, a conflictingly comforting presence. Cassandra sets the book aside, and he settles on the grass by her feet, inspecting the cover. “These are shit, aren’t they?”

“They are _wonderful_ ,” she corrects. “But, apparently, they are poor quality. I do not know. Have you read any?”

“I haven’t read much at all,” he admits. “Dorian recommends Tevinter reads every so often, I think just to mess with me.” Cassandra laughs. “You might have better taste.”

“I might.”

He takes the book. “I’ll start with this one.”

“Oh, but you _can’t_ just start there! There is so much before, and you truly must see their relationship grow, it is—” She stops, placing her fingers over her lips, feeling her cheeks redden.

He has had this effect on her, as of late…

Bull chuckles. “Alright, Seeker. Come by tonight with your suggestions, and I’ll look them over.”

Cassandra opens her mouth to protest, to claim that she is too _busy_ to have some sort of… _book club_ with him. But he is gone, and she realizes he’s taken her book with him.

_Clever Qunari._

 

* * *

 

She almost talks herself out of it. If the soldiers saw, it might be enough to finally have them speaking to her, or _about_ her, and openly. Cullen, of course, would not allow it, but still. The idea of it is enough to give her pause, to make her question her rationale. Certainly, she loves to read. And, certainly, she’s found herself…intrigued by her fellow warrior as of late.

Ever since the dreadnaught incident, almost losing his Chargers…things had been different between them, and Cassandra would be a fool to claim she had not felt _something._ Whatever it is, she can’t say. But she approaches his room with far less trepidation, now, and knocks on the door with three, heavy strikes.

“Has anyone ever told you your knocks sound like bad news?” he asks, once he’s let her inside.

“They are meant to attract attention.”

“Attention attracted,” he murmurs and reclines on the bed. “There’s a chair over there, if you’d like. I see you brought a small _library._ ” Cassandra glances down into the crate and flushes for the second time that day. He chuckles. “I’m only teasing, Seeker. Let’ see ‘em.”

Cassandra nods, bringing out the first few volumes of _Swords and Shields._ They are her favorite, of course, but she has several series that are well loved and have traveled with her for quite some time now. _The Tale of Lily Anne_ is a favorite, a series about an Orlesian servant girl who is thrust into nobility when it turns out her father is a Duke and she was spirited away to protect her from war.

“She is trapped, of course, between her more sensible upbringing and this elegant court life to which she’s _never_ been exposed. And just as she thinks she’ll escape it all—”

“She meets someone.”

“Yes! Hector is her first love interest, and her best, in my opinion. She’s been courted by many, but she always returns to him.”

“Why doesn’t she marry him?”

“His family was on the losing side of a small conflict that did them no favors with the Empress. Now his uncle is attempting to win back her affection, and he uses his nephew as a pawn in the Game.”

“Typical.”

Cassandra sighs. “He is tragic. Forced to make love to women he does not want, always seeing Lily Anne just there, out of sight, in the arms of other men. He longs for her, but she cannot be his.”

“This is why Orlais is ridiculous,” Bull mutters, but sets the book in his unofficial _to-read_ pile. “You don’t have _The Tale of the Champion_ in here.”

Cassandra laughs. “There are a dozen copies of it lying around Skyhold, and I believe Varric has some he’s more than willing to sign.”

“I’ll be sure to ask. Not because you told me to,” he adds. “Wouldn’t want to give away your affections.”

Cassandra frowns. “Come again?”

“It’s the dwarf, isn’t it? He’s the one you…you know.” He pokes his fingers together.

“Absolutely not.”

“No?”

“No! Of course not, I am not interested in doing that with anyone.”

Bull nods. “So it isn’t Cullen, either.”

“Come now, you are supposed to be far more observant than _this_ , Qunari. Certainly if I…if I wanted anyone, you would…” Cassandra swallows, realizing his gaze is heavy upon her. “You would know.”

He tips his head to the side. “I would,” he says. “Wouldn’t I?”

“And you would never tease me about it. Not about the truth.”

“That’s your business. The rest are just fun. Though I can picture you and Cullen very clearly. He’s quite handsome.”

“He is very…very strong,” Cassandra manages, finding her eyes drifting over Bull’s arms and chest. “I have a few…non-fiction titles. I…if you wanted to know more about Nevarran history, I could…”

“Seeker.” He takes the books and drops them onto the floor. “I don’t want to talk about books.”

“I did not think so.”

He chucks. “And when did you figure that out?”

She swallows, and his arms are around her, pulling her in and forcing the words out of her chest. “ _Oh!_ ” She closes her eyes. “Right now.”


End file.
